Terming the House dissolution a coup d’etat, the Brihat Nagarik Andolan, a civil society movement, has called upon all democratic parties, rights activists, professionals and aware citizens to unite to create a powerful “people’s movement” to defeat the tyrannical move of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

The Andolan that took to the streets despite the pandemic after Oli dissolved the House for the first time in December 20, has said the dissolution of the Parliament by the prime minister and the President as a coup d’etat aimed at demolishing the constitution and the democracy.

“Brihat Nagarik Andolan has identified the deceitful dissolution of the parliament by the Prime Minister and the President, aimed at demolishing the Constitution and democracy, as a coup d’état,” states a press statement issued by the Andolan on Saturday. “For him [Oli] to now falsely declare that he will hand the common citizens ballot papers while they seek accountable politics during a pandemic is a crime against humanity.”

President Bhandari late on Friday night dissolved the House and declared polls for November 12 and 19 on the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli.

“Oli had led the deceitful attempt to trample over the peoples’ achievements made through various struggles and promulgate an incomplete constitution, and ever since, he has been continuously attacking the constitution, including democratic institutions and values,” reads the statement. “Even during the Covid-19 pandemic he continued to play games with the lives of the Nepali citizens and basic public health needs. President Bidya Devi Bhandari also continued to trample over the constitution in service of his every undemocratic steps.”

According to the Andolan, at this moment of crisis, the people need vaccines, ventilators and oxygen–not ballot papers.

“The need is of a public health system capable of protecting citizens’ lives, and for the state’s resources to be spent upon public welfare and justice and the need is of a government accountable to the citizens which can guarantee good governance – not of a capture of the state,” reads the statement. “The need is of a comprehensive partnership capable of facing the present crisis in public health – not a conspiracy to use the crisis created by the pandemic toward enacting a coup.”

Earlier on Saturday, around a dozen civil society members also condemned the House dissolution move, saying that it was the continuation of the regressive step taken by Oli and Bhandari on December 20.

In a statement, Aruna Uprety, Pitambar Sharma, Dipendra Kshetri, Hari Roka, Mahesh Maskey, Shyam Shrestha, Bindu Sharma and Narayan Dhakal among others have appealed for solidarity to counter the Friday’s House dissolution.

“It is essential that all the persons or the group attempting to subvert the constitution and the Parliament must be punished legally and politically so that they won’t dare to repeat such actions again,” reads the statement.